1.  The Mariners improved a rather pedesterian rotation over the offseason, by adding Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva.  The only problem:  I can't say the offense has been terrible.  It's been non-existent.  The M's are 14-23 right now.  I'm still optimistic, but predicting them to win the Wildcard now, just seems foolish.  That being said, JJ Putz is still my favorite non-closer.  Ichiro will hopefully still start for the American League at the All Star Game in NY.  Raul Ibanez will eventually start being the only guy that knows what an RBI is and how to get one, again.  Yuni, Beltre, and Lopez will remember how not to commit such costly errors.  Felix will get his swagger and velocity back.  Erik Bedard will get a much deserved contract extension, as I still think trading for him was the smartest move of the offseason, plus he has the best curveball I've seen since Barry Zito, in his prime.  Jeff Clement will start to hit, what could be many, deep bombs over the center field wall.  Wladimir Balentien will be getting the necessary numbers to win the Rookie of the Year award.  Kenji will show us why he didn't deserve to get a 3 year contract extension.  Jose Vidro will become older and more useless than ever (They should've signed The Big Hurt, while they had the oppurtunity)  Richie Sexson will retire from baseball, opting to join the UFC.  John McLaren will continue to get run from the game, in the first inning, Sweet Lou Style.  The M's brass will realize that Mel Stottlemyre is too good of a pitching coach for this organization, that Ken Griffey Jr. needs to be retained via trade, to boost the extremely low morale of the team, and that Bryan LaHair is the future at 1st base.

2.  The Minnesota Twins are kickin' butt and takin' names!  I couldn't have been more wrong about them.  Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young, but especially Gomez, are going to be great players for years to come.  I'm stunned that Francisco Liariano hasn't returned to top form yet.  I still don't think they have the rotation to win the Central, but they definitely have the lineup and bullpen too.  Cleveland is still my pick though.  Again, sorry Twins fans: You were alright for bashing me about my prediction, regarding the Twins. 

3.  The Cardinals and A's are in 1st place, in their respective divisions.  Both teams are a real surprise this year, especially the A's.  I've never seen a rebuilding team play like a pennant winner, and do with a handful of players no one has ever heard of.  Dana Eveland? Daric Barton?  Greg Smith? Santiago Casilla (the next great closer)?  Emil Brown?  Actually I knew who he was, but not that he was that good.  The Cards are winning with an interesting rotation of American League has beens and guys I've never heard of.  I guess all Joel Piniero needed was a change of leagues.  Todd Wellemeyer?  Kyle Lohse is pitching way over his head right now.  Right, Twins fans?  Adam Wainwright is looking like a Cy Young candidate.  Skip Schumaker?  Guy sounds more like a jockey or a golfer than a baseball player.  Rick Ankiel and Albert Pujols are seriously raking.  That doesn't surprise me with one of them.  They've got some good starters coming off the DL, at some point: Mulder, Carpenter, Clement.  If they can hang in there til those guys are ready, watch out!  I still like the Cubs though and the Dodgers for the Wildcard. 

Those are the most glaring reasons that I'm an ####, and predictions can seem so foolish.  Go M's, 14-23 might seem like a mountain of adversity, but that's the way we like it! 

Starting Rotation:  Seattle Mariners

1.  LHP  Randy Johnson (Named the Big Unit for his intimidating 6'10" frame.  The most dominant pitcher in Mariners history.  Acquired in the Mark Langston trade from the Montreal Expos, Johnson was easily the most popular Mariner pitcher ever.  His pitches had the kind of velocity that few pitchers ever have, and he had one of the nastiest sliders in the majors.  In 1990, he threw a no-hitter against the Detroit TIgers, and was the first pitcher ever to strike out Hall of Famer Wade Boggs 3 times in one game.  His blazing fastball allowed him to have six 300 plus strike out seasons.  Randy was especially dominant during the '95, but more importantly in the post season that year.  During the midseason trade deadline, in 1998, Johnson was dealt to the Houston Astros, who were in the thick of a pennant race, for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, and John Halama.  The Mariners management traded a player they thought was on the decline.  A 5 time Cy Young award winner, World Series MVP, World Series Ring, and a perfect game later, the Mariners look foolish for trading him.  He was the kind of pitcher you would want pitching in a Game 7. )

2.  LHP Jamie Moyer (Jamie Moyer was the polar opposite of power pitchers like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and others who dominated during the late '90s.  The Mariners acquired Moyer during the '96 season from the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Darren Bragg.  He went 6-2, in that half of the season, and would improve with 17 wins the following season, and had 20 wins during the 2001 116 win season for the Mariners.  He was the winningest pitcher in Mariners history, was loved throughout the community for all of the charity work he and his did, still do, and was comparably dominant, but less heralded as players like Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Randy Johnson from '97 to 2004.  He was traded during the season to the Philadelphia Phillies for a couple of Single A pitching prospects.  Jamie was best known for his off speed pitching style, with a fastball that tops out a 83 mph, and a great combination of curveball and circle change up.  He wasn't a highlight reel pitcher, but he was effective.  Without pitchers like him, the 2001 season wouldn't have been possible.)

3.  LHP Mark Langston (He wore a Mariners uniform from 1984-1989, but had a tremendous impact for the Mariners.  He was an all star and a league leader in strike outs for 3 seasons, had 2 Gold gloves while with the Mariners.  Langston was the lone all star pitcher on some very underachieving, historically awful Mariner teams, in the mid '80s.  And is highly regarded as having one of the best pick-off moves, in Major League Baseball, of all time.  He is second, only to Kenny Rogers, in this category.  He was traded to the Montreal Expos in 1989 for Randy Johnson and Brian Holman.)

4.  RHP Freddy Garcia (Acquired by the Mariners in a midseason deal for ace Randy Johnson in 1998, Freddy become a household name among Mariner fans.  He was a work-horse during his rookie season, pitching 201 innings and finishing with an impressive 17-8 record, while compiling 170 strike outs.  His last five seasons in he Seattle he had 18, 16, 12, 13, and 14 wins.  He too was a dominant fixture on the Mariners team that won 116 games, in 2001.  Nicknamed the "Chief" for his resemblence to the large Native American man in the movie One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest, Freddy was a fan favorite.  He was his own worst enemy on the mound, because if he failed at something, often times he would come un-glued, and his performance would suffer.  In 2004, his last season with the Mariners, he didn't have those struggles, and in my opinion, had his most solid season with the Mariners during a contract year.  He was dealt to the Chicago White Sox during the 2004 season, and won a World Series with them in 2005.)

5.  RHP Felix Hernandez (It's difficult to say that Felix is one of the Mariners great pitchers, because he hasn't been as dominant, as I think he will be yet.  Felix, like Freddy Garcia, can get frustrated while on the mound, if he makes mistakes.  I saw this first hand when I watched a game against the Baltimore Orioles in mid July.  Felix took a 2-0 lead into the 7th inning, but gave up a couple of base hits, got upset at himself, lost his composure and then surrendered a 3 run homer to Jay Gibbons.  A month later, Felix was in a jam in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.  The bases were loaded with 2 outs, and a 1-2 count on slugger Alex Rios.  Felix threw a perfect strike, right over the plate that froze Rios.  It was a thing of beauty, but much to the dismay of Felix, manager John McClaren, Kenji Johjima, myself, and any Mariner fan watching, the pitch was called a ball.  Felix was furious.  His next pitch was slapped in to the gap by Rios, and brought in a run.  He then faced Troy Glaus, who he had struck out twice earlier in the game.  Glaus crushed Felix's pitch for a 3 run homer, and it was all over for the Mariners after that.  With maturity, I think Felix will turn into the dominant, clear-cut ace that Mariner fans expect to be.  The one hit, complete game shut-out he threw vs Boston in Fenway, was one of the most awe inspiring games I have ever seen.  It is performances like this that let me know that Felix will develop into, perhaps, the best pitcher in Mariners history.  His fastball and slider are well developed, plus his change up is improving nicely.  All hail King Felix!)